AdWatch: Dan Bishop claims Jeff Jackson ‘embraced’ a sex offender. Here’s the context.

Republicans are accusing U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, the Democratic nominee for North Carolina attorney general, of embracing and praising a child sex offender.

Jackson and Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop are in a tight race for attorney general, a position currently held by Democrat Josh Stein, who’s running for governor. Bishop’s campaign is airing a television ad that shows Jackson hugging a Charlotte man named Chad Turner, who the Bishop campaign describes as a "child molester."

"In 2016, Child molester Chad Turner became one of Charlotte's most notorious sex offenders. A few years later, Jeff Jackson accepted an award from and embraced Chad Turner," a narrator in the Bishop ad says.

The ad then features a clip of Jackson at a microphone on stage, saying: "I'm so grateful for what you've done."

The ad ends with voters saying: "This is wrong. It's awful. Everyone knew about this guy. How could a mom of any child trust Jeff Jackson when it does? With children, there are no words. I voted for Democrats before. I can't vote for Jeff Jackson."

Bishop’s attack on Jackson could prove significant in the attorney general election. A SurveyUSA/WRAL News Poll conducted between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26 found Jackson leading Bishop 44% to 42% — with 14% of respondents saying they were undecided. But the ad omits some context about Turner and Jackson that might give voters a different impression of their interaction. Jackson’s campaign said Jackson has no relationship with Turner. It has demanded Bishop stop airing the advertisement, saying it makes "false" statements and implications. 

Who is Chad Turner? Turner, formerly Chad Sevearance, is a registered sex offender in North Carolina. State records show that in 1998, when Turner was 20-years-old, he was accused of committing a lewd act on a 15-year-old child in South Carolina — a charge he was convicted of in 2000. He currently works as the president and chief executive of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce in Charlotte, according to the group’s website. 

Neither Turner nor the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce responded to requests for comment. 

What does the video show? Bishop’s campaign ad shows footage of Jackson hugging Turner, with the ad’s narrator claiming Jackson "accepted an award" from Turner.

The footage is from a Dec. 13, 2022, awards ceremony hosted by the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. The group — which has several staff members and 10 members of its board of directors — picked Jackson for its Advancing Equity Award. Turner presented it to Jackson on stage.

What does the video leave out? Jackson’s campaign pointed out that he was one several lawmakers and businesses to receive awards. In 2022, the group’s Advancing Equity Award was also given to U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, D-NC. NASCAR, the New Belgium Brewing Co., and security firm CIS Patrol Services also received awards that year. In 2021, the Professional Golf Association, Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg County Commissioners also received awards. 

Who was Jackson praising in the video? Bishop’s ad features footage of Jackson saying, "I'm so grateful for what you've done." On social media, the North Carolina Republican Party said Jackson "praises convicted child molesters like Chad Turner." Jackson has accused Bishop’s campaign of deceptively editing the video. Jackson says his comments in the video were directed at the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce organization — not Turner, specifically. The video footage in Bishop’s ad shows Jackson looking out to the crowd as he speaks.

Did Jackson know about Turner’s record? Bishop’s ad shows a woman saying "everyone knew about this guy." Jackson says he didn’t know about Turner’s record. In a statement to PolitiFact, Jackson’s campaign noted that the congressman "attends hundreds of events and meets thousands of people across North Carolina." And on Oct. 30, Jackson’s campaign sent a letter to Bishop demanding that his campaign stop airing the ad. 

"When he received the award in 2022, Rep. Jackson had no knowledge of Mr. Turner’s criminal record, and he has had no relationship with him at any time," the Jackson campaign’s letter says. It continued: "Your statements and implications are simply false. Even worse, you have published these statements knowing they were false in hopes of gaining ground on Rep. Jackson. Your lies must stop, and they must stop now."

In response, Bishop sent a letter claiming that the ad doesn’t amount to defamation because "the video proof of Jeff’s embrace of this registered sex offender is incontrovertible." Bishop also said Jackson’s claim — that he didn’t know about Turner’s record — is "ridiculous."

Bishop and other Republicans have noted that Turner’s criminal record has been reported by various media outlets over the years. The Charlotte Observer, for instance, reported in 2016 that Turner stepped down from his role as president of Charlotte’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce — which later became the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce — amid scrutiny from conservative political groups. He rejoined the group in 2020, the Observer reported.